1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to traffic direction within a communications network. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for directing communication traffic to a specified location when an original location is not reachable.
2. Background of the Invention
Directing search traffic on the web is a common and lucrative process. For example, popular web browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, typically redirect misspelled and mistyped web pages on to the web browser's own personal incomplete search page, such as MSN Search. Such search pages provide the user with possible search options and advertising. The essence of the concept is that it captures the mistyped or misspelled traffic at either the browser level or application level. These methods lack the capability to function at the DNS level, thus limiting their overall functionality and ability to be able to provide business services.
Various methods of routing or redirecting traffic are known in the art. For example, methods of routing traffic are taught within U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,402. Methods of redirecting or routing of data traffic are taught within U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,893, U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,490, U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,477, and patent application publication U.S. 2004/0042447 A1. Methods of routing error corrections are taught within U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,208. Routing methods for load balancing are taught within U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,139 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,660. Internet traffic routing is taught within U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,611. Methods for dealing with invalid requests are taught within patent application publication U.S. 2004/0030780 A1.
Likewise, methods of marketing and traffic selling are known. For example, such methods are taught within patent application publication U.S. 2004/0044566 A1. URL (uniform resource locator) redirect methods are taught within patent application publication U.S. 2004/004622 A1. DNS (domain name server/service) resource lookup methods are taught within patent application publication U.S. 2004/0044791 A1. Methods of implementing a web-based proxy are taught within U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,402.
Although there are numerous drawbacks to the systems and methods currently available, a drawback of conventional redirect methods is that they lack the ability to perform service task at the DNS level of operation, thus limiting the functionality and capability of such methods.
Furthermore conventional redirect methods are diminished in capacity due to the level at which these elements operate within the Internet infrastructure or Internet architecture, thus limiting the ability of conventional redirect methods in conducting reliable business services, such as payment processing, e-commerce, ENUM, IP telephony, VoIP, filtering, security, URL forwarding, and associated tracking methods, such as market channel tracking, webpage usages, DNS statistics, traffic redirection, and information storage or backup.
Thus there is a need in the art for a method of traffic direction or redirection that is not limited in the level at which it is able to function and allows for conducting reliable business services and associated tracking methods.